Gucci has unveiled its latest exhibition, Gucci | Bamboo Encounters, at the Chiostri di San Simpliciano during Fuorisalone 2025. Curated and designed by Ippolito Pestellini Laparelli and his interdisciplinary studio 2050+, the exhibition reimagines the House's legacy of bamboo through the lens of contemporary design.
A tribute to Gucci's enduring relationship with bamboo, the exhibition presents works by seven international creatives, each interpreting the material's symbolic and structural properties in unique ways. From sculpture to textiles, glasswork to metal etching, Bamboo Encounters bridges tradition with innovation, showcasing bamboo's creative versatility.
Anton Alvarez's towering sculpture 1802251226 pays homage to the plant's organic form and growth. 'Guided by organic forms, the sculpture balances the growth of the plant with the movement of water, evoking natural elements that provide stability and life but also defy structural limits, both reliable yet wild,' reflects the Swedish-Chilean artist.
French artist Nathalie Du Pasquier explores dualities in her piece PASSAVENTO, a folding screen combining bamboo-inspired lightweight panels and delicate silk prints. 'Presenting a natural juxtaposition, the work contrasts the wildness of bamboo with the delicate touch of fabric,' she explains.
In Scaffolding, Austrian designer Laurids Gallée evokes industrial forms using blue resin. 'The resin mirrors the resilient gracefulness of bamboo, contrasting its self-imposing form with softer, negative space,' the work suggests, creating a dialogue between rigidity and calm.
Design collective Kite Club, composed of Bertjan Pot, Liesbeth Abbenes, and Maurice Scheltens, celebrates bamboo's playful side in Thank you, Bamboo, a collection of handmade kites. 'Using this combination of materials, the work showcases that anyone can experience the joy of flying kites,' the trio states.
Seoul-based designer Sisan Lee presents Engraved, an aluminium etching that merges bamboo imagery with Korean minimalist traditions. 'Through relief and intaglio techniques, traces of bamboo are etched on aluminum, connecting Lee's modern artistry with traditional Korean aesthetics of "subtraction," seen in the restrained beauty of Joseon porcelain and paintings.'
Dima Srouji, a Palestinian architect and artist, merges the slow craft of basket weaving with the fragility of glass in Hybrid Exhalations. 'Srouji combines the slow-paced with the fast-paced, the intricate with the fragile,' the piece notes, embodying a tactile fusion of materials and time.
Finally, the back studio, a creative duo composed of Eugenio Rossi and Yaazd Contractor, presents bamboo assemblage n.1, a high-tech interplay of bamboo and cold cathode glass. The duo 'illuminate the material… introducing a dynamic tension between tradition and modernity.'
Through this multi-sensory exhibition, Gucci invites visitors to rediscover bamboo not only as a timeless design motif but also as a symbol of adaptability and sustainability. Gucci | Bamboo Encounters continues through Fuorisalone 2025, offering an immersive glimpse into the future of craft.
More information:
Gucci
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